Fear the Lionhead
by The Cloaked Ghost
Summary: When dead animals start showing up in Beacon Hills with strange markings carved into their flesh, it's up to Scott and his 'pack' to find out what's going on, but is Scott really in control of his True Alpha abilities? Do two new students hold the answers? The Nemeton is attracting all sorts of supernatural attention, but why is Isaac the target? The truth lies in Derek's past.
1. Ribbons

_A/N: _Hey! So this is a thing I came up with. I was getting into Teen Wolf recently and I just thought 'why not?' Anyway, this story is set at the end of 3a, so any characters or story arcs spanning from 3b will not be mentioned, for obvious reasons. This story does contain a few OC's, but then again, it kind of has to. I hope you will come to love them anyway! There'll be no slashes, just good old fashioned friendship unless I decide differently in oncoming chapters. I actually have this story planned out, so hopefully we'll be able to get through this little adventure together, I'd be overjoyed if you followed me on this little epic and of course, reviews are always appreciated. This is just a first chapter taster, tell me what you think of it, don't be shy! Anyway, without further ado, I present to you: _Fear the Lionhead_

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**Fear the Lionhead**

_Chapter 1_

Ribbons

"_For what you did to me and what I'll do to you, you get what everyone else gets. _

_You get a lifetime"_

Scott McCall didn't know what he was getting himself into the day he decided to listen to Stiles. Admittedly, this was a trait that had gotten Scott into a lot of trouble in the past. One evening not that long ago had changed his life forever, after all. The night Stiles had turned up outside his bedroom window inviting him out into the woods to try and find a dead body, sorry, _half _a dead body. The night he had been bitten by Derek's psychotic uncle and forced into a world he had absolutely no intention of joining.

Now, Scott was an Alpha, a _True Alpha, _whatever the Hell _that _really entailed and, surprisingly, his judgement hadn't gotten any better. So, when Scott had received a text from Stiles that afternoon demanding he meet him in the woods as soon as possible, he had agreed without a second thought in the matter.

As Scott fought his way through broken twigs and a canopy of fallen leaves, he tried his best to keep his senses wide open. The nature of Stiles' text had been urgent; then again, half the time any text sent from Stiles was pretty much insistent. Still, Scott couldn't help but wonder what Stiles had been doing out in the woods on a Sunday afternoon and why he needed help in whatever it was he'd gotten himself into.

Just as Scott had trampled down a narrow slope in the foliage, he felt a sudden change in the atmosphere around him. His heightened senses prickled as he felt another presence move behind him.

With the reflexes of an Alpha on his side, Scott whirled around in a heartbeat, only to come face to face with his startled best friend.

"_Ah!_"

"_AH!"_

Both boys shot away from each other, momentarily confused with what had just happened. Scott regained his calm first. "Dude," he hissed. "What the _Hell_ are you doing?"

"Sorry!" Stiles apologised automatically, hands raised in a half-surrender. "I didn't think you were gonna wolf out on me!"

"I didn't wolf out on you," Scott replied indignantly, fists clenched.

Stiles' lip twitched into a smirk as he raised his hand towards his face. "Uh, dude," he grinned, "your eyes."

Scott blinked his surprise. Sure enough, the moment Stiles had startled him, his eyes had responded with a fierce red glow. Now he had regained his senses, he also felt a dull throb in his palms where his claws had extended slightly. With a shake of the head, his eyes returned to their normal dull brown. "Sorry," Scott muttered, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "I guess I'm not totally used to the whole Alpha thing yet."

"And we've _gotta _talk about that some time," Stiles insisted as he clapped an arm around Scott's shoulder. "But right now, I've got something to show you."

Scott frowned as he took his friend in for the first time since he had crept up on him. Stiles' hair was more ruffled than usual and his eyes glinted with a bright excitement that seemed borderline psychotic. "Um, is everything okay?" Scott asked slowly.

"Yes!" Stiles answered far too quickly before righting himself. "I mean, no… it's, it's kinda weird to be honest."

Scott snorted. "Since when is anything _not _weird in this town?"

Stiles pulled a face before reaching into one of his jacket pockets. After fiercely searching inside it for well over a minute, Scott watched Stiles check the other before pulling out something easily into his palm.

"Look," Stiles demanded and Scott complied.

Scott glanced down at the object that rested in Stiles' hand for a few moments, his expression slowly sinking into that of deep confusion. "Uh, dude… it's a… ribbon."

"Uh huh, a red one," Stiles spoke with conviction as he pushed his palm further under Scott's nose. "That's not what was weird though."

"Of course not," Scott said sarcastically, backing away from Stiles' intrusive hand.

Stiles frowned. "No, I mean, I found this tied to a tree. Nothing weird about that right? Probably just some kids messing around. But then, I saw another and another and then guess what? _Another! _There are dozens of these little bastards tied to every tree like some sort of freakin' trail into the unknown!"

Scott stared at his friend incredulously. "Did you follow it?"

"Of course I didn't follow it!" Stiles fumed. "I don't know what could be at the end of that trail, but after the year we've had I figured anything is possible." Stiles shoved Scott playfully in the chest. "That's why I texted you. You're my backup."

"_Backup?_"

"Yes Scott, I found the sinister trail of red ribbons, therefore _you_ are _my _backup!"

Scott rolled his eyes as he snatched the ribbon from out of his friend's palm. Stiles looked at him suspiciously. "Are you getting anything from it?"

Scott shrugged. "It's just a ribbon, dude. I don't smell a scent on it."

Stiles seemed ruffled by his answer, but didn't respond. Instead he grabbed Scott by the arm and dragged him off towards the trail of ribbons that he had spotted earlier with nothing but a gruff "_Come on" _to hurry his friend forward.

Scott soon stood at Stiles' side, mouth slightly agape as he took in his surroundings. Just as Stiles had said, there was a red ribbon tied to the tree closest to him and the tree after that and the tree _after that. _Now he was standing there, he couldn't help but admit it did seem kind of ominous. Still, they were just _ribbons. _

"I dunno, man," Scott sighed, "this could just be someone's idea of a prank."

Stiles chewed on his lip a little forcefully as he nodded. "Yeah, I get it. But it's weird, right?"

Scott nodded. "Definitely."

"So we're gonna follow it?"

"Oh yeah, totally."

Neither of the boys had expected the trail to go on for quite as long as it did. After the first twenty minutes, the ribbons became more and more sporadic and harder to pin point. Luckily, with Scott's heightened sense of sight, he was still able to keep them going on what he considered the right path.

At some point during the trek, Stiles had picked up a fallen branch and had begun swiping it against the trees as they passed by almost absent-mindedly. "What if we find out this is someone's elaborate idea on being romantic and when we reach the end of the trail we find two people having-"

"_Dude!_" Scott interrupted, appalled.

"Well it's a valid point," Stiles argued. "How long have we been following this thing anyway? Half an hour? Seems like a pretty time consuming prank."

"That's the whole point of pranks," Scott answered warily.

Looking out for red ribbons didn't sound taxing when spoken aloud, but to Scott, he could feel the strain it was putting on his abilities. Ever since he'd become a True Alpha, his powers had gotten stronger and – with that – harder to control. He'd lost count how many things he'd broken whilst accidently harnessing in on his werewolf strength. Absently, he wished Derek was still around. Though Derek had left his number, Scott knew how unreliable that was. With all the Hales out of town and the twins going AWOL after what had happened with Deucalion, there was no one Scott could talk to about being an Alpha. He didn't know if what he was going through was normal, or something that only happened to True Alphas. Or maybe it was none of the above. With a deep sense of dread in his stomach, Scott wondered whether he just wasn't strong enough to be an Alpha. Maybe it didn't matter that he'd risen to it on his own, maybe when it came down to it his body just couldn't take it…

With those dark thoughts swimming through his mind, Scott very nearly missed the ribbons that were tied to two trees, each facing across from each other. As Scott surveyed the two ribbons, a scent came at him through the wind. The smell of rotting meat. With a sinking in his gut, Scott reached out and pulled Stiles back, who very nearly walked straight out into the clearing that now stood before them.

And, strewn directly in the centre of that clearing… was a carcass.

Scott's sense of smell had already determined that the body wasn't human, though from where they were standing he wasn't sure what Stiles had witnessed, though his best friend did look paler than he had done before.

"Relax," Scott said, trying his best to mean it. "It's just a deer."

Stiles nodded his comprehension, but didn't look at all soothed by the idea. "Yeah, but what killed it?"

It was the question they'd both been thinking, after all. The two friends shared a look before they both stepped out into the clearing together.

Scott couldn't sense anyone human or _in_human around the clearing aside from himself and Stiles, so he sped up a little on his pursuit towards the fallen animal. As they got closer, the smell got harder to manage. With a little force, Scott managed to control his sense of smell to something more bearable, though he couldn't help but note the added amount of strength it took.

The deer had been ripped open from the underside, large claw marks were still indented in the flesh and the deer's once-brown fur was now a massacre of different shades of red.

Both boys stood silently as they looked at the dead deer before them. They knew they were thinking the same thing. Of _course _they were thinking the same thing. The claw marks were too wide to be that of an animal's and, despite the spilled intestines, it was easy to pinpoint the five distinct claw marks that had dealt the killing strike. Scott sucked in a breath.

"Wait," Stiles said suddenly, startling Scott with his abruptness. With a little hesitation, Stiles drew closer to the deer, wrinkling his nose as he caught a whiff of the pungent odour the carcass was giving off. Scott could only envy what little Stiles could probably smell of the thing. Still, he watched closely as Stiles poked the deer with the tree branch he had collected, rolling it slightly further towards them. "I thought I saw something," Stiles muttered, pointing with his branch towards the dead deer's flank.

Scott's eyes narrowed as he honed in on the deer's side. There was a lot of dried blood clotting the fur, but no, Stiles had been right. There _was_ something on the deer's flank. A marking of some kind that looked as though it had been carved into the flesh.

"What do you think it is?" Stiles asked absently.

Scott shrugged. To him, it looked a bit like an ore you'd find on a row boat with what looked like a line striking through it. Unconsciously, Scott turned his head to the side, trying to get a better look at it. Finally he answered, "I'm not sure." Fumbling in his pockets for a few moments, Scott managed to pull out his phone. He angled it towards the deer's flank and took a few pictures.

Stiles gave him a questioning look before Scott explained, "I think I know someone who might be able to figure this out."

The boys gave each other a look of understanding before they both chimed, "Deaton."


	2. Suspicions

_A/N: _So this is the second chapter, where you will be introduced to my OCs; tell me what you think of them in a review! I want your honest opinion! (I won't bite, honest!) Isaac will be playing a lead role in this story as well, so if you're an Isaac girl (or guy) then I think you'll like where this story is headed. I do want to give every character a chance at screen time though, so if you want to see more of your favourite character, feel free to ask me and I'll see if I can work them in a little harder.

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_Chapter 2_

Suspicions

"_Promise me that when I'm gone you'll kill my enemies"_

"Interesting," Dr Deaton spoke softly as he scanned the pictures Scott had taken on his phone.

Stiles was leant against the entryway, visibly out of breath. As soon as Scott had collected enough evidence, the two boys had sprinted to where Stiles had parked his Jeep and practically crashed into the vets, shouting out to Deaton in a veritable of jumbled sentences and gestures.

When Deaton had emerged from the back room of the veterinary clinic, he'd worn a sombre expression as usual, only frowning in small intervals as Scott had recounted what had happened in the woods. Stiles for the most part had remained silent, instead trying to focus on catching his breath. He sometimes envied Scott's werewolf abilities, like never getting tired after running long distances. How was _that _fair?

"From the wounds I was thinking it might be another werewolf," Scott said unsurely as he looked at the pictures over his boss's shoulder. "But I've never seen that symbol before."

Stiles rolled his eyes. "And that's saying a lot, 'cause there seems to be a symbol for every little thing in the werewolf world." He lifted a hand out in front of him and began counting out the symbols he could remember across his fingers. "There's one for vengeance, one for unity, there's probably one for birthdays."

Scott rolled his eyes. "Dude, this could be serious."

Deaton for the most part ignored the two friend's exchange. Instead, he continued to study the pictures with a fixed expression. Finally, he glanced towards Scott. "The symbol doesn't look familiar to me; though you are right in saying that there are many that translate meaning for werewolves, some even vary from pack to pack." Deaton shrugged. "It could simply be that I have never come across this one before, but I believe it is more likely that the symbol relates to something else."

Stiles kicked himself off from the wall to join Deaton and Scott at the centre of the room. "What, you mean, non-werewolf related? Like druids or kanimas or something else?" Stiles drew off with a sharp breath to let that thought sink in. It wasn't like he had a hard time believing in the supernatural, in fact, if he could go back in time and tell his nine year old self all the things he had seen, he would probably have had a field day. No, it was simply that he was tired of running into situations like this completely blind. Here they were, facing yet another potential threat with little to nothing to go on to point them in the right direction to show them what they were _actually_ up against.

Deaton handed the phone back to Scott. "I can do some research of my own, but in the mean time you might want to consult others with more… experience."

"Like the Argents?" Scott guessed.

Deaton nodded with a small gratified smile. "The claw marks on the deer do suggest some kind of werewolf activity, though I do find something… disturbing about the circumstances. You said there was a trail of red ribbons guiding you to the carcass?"

Stiles nodded enthusiastically. "Do you know what it means?"

Deaton shook his head. "Not exactly, though it doesn't sound like a desperate Omega or a wolf gone wild. Whoever or _whatever _we may be dealing with had the cunning and planning to make sure you were the ones to find the body."

Scott's eyes widened in surprise. "You think they _wanted _me to find the deer?"

"I don't doubt it," Deaton said. When Scott looked baffled, Deaton amended, "You're a True Alpha now, Scott. Werewolves will be searching you out, sometimes for guidance others for… darker purposes." Deaton let his voice hang sharply for a moment before continuing: "The Nemeton will be directing more _exotic _supernatural creatures in the direction of Beacon Hills already; there is no telling who might have wandered into town in the last few weeks."

Stiles noticed Scott's face pale and cleared his throat in an attempt to lighten some of the tension that had settled inside of the room. "So, what you're saying is it might _not _be a werewolf?"

Deaton fixed Stiles with a pointed look, and suddenly Stiles was reminded of Deaton's sister, Miss Morrell, the school guidance councillor. "I'm saying, anything is possible." Deaton turned towards Scott once more and his expression softened. "I don't say this to scare you Scott, I'm saying it to prepare you. Speak with Chris Argent, he may be able to give you more information than I can provide at the moment."

Despite the fact that Scott was no longer dating Chris Argent's daughter, he still didn't like being trapped alone in a room with the guy. He knew Allison was spending the day with Lydia, so that would mean he'd have to face the professional werewolf hunter alone. Despite his new Alpha abilities, Scott didn't like his odds. Instead, he decided he would tell Allison about what he and Stiles had witnessed the next day when they were _safely_ back at school. Besides, he was sure that Allison would have better luck interrogating her own father than anything _he _could manage.

After Scott returned home, he made it his first priority to inform Isaac of all that he and Stiles had discovered. Despite Isaac's antisocial tendencies, he was someone that Scott felt he could rely on one hundred percent. After all, Isaac was the first Beta to join his pack, the _only _Beta in fact. Despite having an odds and ends pack made up of humans, hunters and Banshees, Scott did like the added power of another werewolf on his side. Isaac was a good friend and loyal when it really mattered and – as expected – he took the news of another possible threat with his usual sarcastic charm. The kid was always up for a fight, no matter how dire the odds on winning actually looked.

* * *

The next day marked a fresh week at Beacon Hills High School. Students washed into the school in waves of broken chatter and raging hormones, both of which Scott could actively sense with his werewolf abilities.

As usual, Scott pulled into the school on his motorcycle, cutting the engine in one fluid move as he made to remove his helmet. Just as he was about to follow the usual wave of students into the main building however, the roar of an engine caught him off guard.

Pulled up next to his motorcycle was another that, had he not been paying attention, he might have mistaken for one of the twins'. Incidentally, the owner of the motorcycle was not alone. Two sleek figures disembarked the impressive vehicle, both removing their helmets at almost the exact same instant.

Scott couldn't help but gawk as the driver of the motorcycle revealed a head of long, ebony hair from underneath her helm. It fell perfectly just below her shoulders that were clad in a leather biker's jacket. Her jeans were black and torn slightly at the shins and her leather boots made an impressive fit to the outfit altogether. Stood behind her was her passenger, a slightly shorter girl who couldn't have looked more different. She was pale like the driver, but where her hair was sleek and black, this one's was a wild red that curled in every direction. She smoothed it down subconsciously as she moved to tuck her helmet under her arm.

Scott watched, mouth slightly agape, as the dark haired driver motioned for her passenger to follow her into the school. In a beat, the red haired girl was behind her, green dress billowing in the wind as she fought to keep pace with the dark haired stranger.

When the two had disappeared, mingled amongst the mix of other students making their way to homeroom, Scott finally managed to find enough sense to close his mouth again. He had to shake his head once to make sure that what he had just witnessed had not been his own imagination, but no, the bike still remained at his side and with it, an aroma like sweet spices hung in the air. Scott frowned, but disregarded it as one of the girls' perfume. He had more pressing things to think about, like telling Allison what he and Stiles had found in the woods the previous afternoon.

"So you want me to ask my dad about this symbol?" Allison asked matter-of-factly as she glanced down at Scott's phone. Finding himself late to class, Scott had only managed to fill Allison in on the details at the beginning of their Chemistry class. Stiles was sat next to him, but they both had their lab stools turned to face the young werewolf hunter as she studiously examined the pictures that she had been handed.

"Deaton doesn't have any information on it yet," Scott explained. "He thinks it might be something more than a werewolf attack."

Allison nodded seriously as she took a piece of paper from out of her binder. Quickly, she scribbled a copy of the symbol down before folding the paper and placing it inside her backpack. "Do you want me to tell him about the ribbons?"

"If it helps," Scott agreed warily.

"Deaton thinks that was a message for Scott," Stiles added quickly, his own stool was tipped precariously on its side, his arms crossed along the front of the desk that Allison and Lydia shared.

Lydia had – of course – been paying attention to the conversation as well, but Scott didn't care. She was a part of this whether she liked it or not and with her uncanny ability to sense death, she was a reliable member of Scott's little misfit pack.

"Why would a werewolf tie ribbons to trees?" Lydia asked curiously. Scott noticed that she'd been trying her best to look disinterested in the conversation and had instead taken a keen fascination with her nail file up until that moment. She still didn't look at either of the boys as she directed her question.

"That's what we're trying to find out," Stiles answered snappishly. He rubbed a hand over his face in apology. "None of this makes much sense."

"We'll figure it out," Scott stated confidently. "We always do."

Before anyone could reply, the classroom door swung open revealing their relatively new Chemistry teacher (after Mr Harris's unfortunate demise) and, following closely behind her were the two students Scott had seen earlier.

Scott could feel Stiles' eyes on him the moment he stiffened in his seat. He gave Stiles a look that he hope translated to 'nothing's wrong,' but he couldn't be sure whether his friend bought it. Honestly, Scott couldn't help but feel uneasy as the two girls entered the classroom. The red head was standing with her arms swinging absently at her sides. Her bright green eyes were fixed on nothing in particular. As for the other one, she seemed to be staring daggers at anyone that even caught her gaze funny. Scott glanced down at his desk as their teacher ushered them to the centre of the class.

"Class, these are our new students, Cameron and Lara Mills. I hope you will make them feel very welcome." With that, the teacher gave a wan smile before directing the two new students to an empty desk at the back.

Scott couldn't be sure, but as the girls passed his desk, he was almost positive he felt their gazes lingering on his back before they swept by. He gave an involuntary shudder as they met their seats and silently went about gathering their needed utensils for that particular class.

By the end of the lesson, Scott felt ultimately on edge. He'd spent the entire class expecting one of the girls to approach him, so much so that he'd neglected the practical that he had been supposed to be aiding Stiles with. It didn't matter; Stiles seemed to be having the same problem, if only for his best friend's benefit.

"That new girl was majorly weird," Stiles said as soon as the misfit pack had sat down to lunch together.

"Which one?" Scott and Isaac asked together. Lydia and Allison looked as though they had been thinking the same thing.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Stiles deadpanned. "Am I the only one with eyes? The red head! Did no one else see the way she almost _melted _that beaker in chem?"

"Maybe it was because none of us were fixating on her like a crazy person," Isaac considered.

"Seriously, what is the point of him?" Stiles accused with wide eyes. When no one responded he lifted his hands in defeat. "Oh _come on. _She nearly melted that beaker because during the whole class she was staring at _Scott!_"

Scott nearly choked on the juice he'd been drinking. "She _was?_" Honestly, he hadn't been watching her. In fact he'd been trying to ignore them to the best of his ability, though he couldn't deny the fact that he'd felt _someone _watching him.

Lydia rolled her eyes as she stabbed at the food on her plate. "Oh come _on. _I know what you're all thinking but really? Maybe the girl just _likes _him."

"That could be true," Allison said, though she sounded reluctant to agree.

"Really?" Stiles fumed. "Are we really going to ignore this? After what Deaton said?"

"Which was?" Isaac prompted.

"You know! The thing! '_The Nemeton will be directing more exotic supernatural creatures in the direction of Beacon Hills," _Stiles recited in his best Dr Deaton voice, "_there is no telling who might have wandered into town in the last few weeks.'_"

His off-key impression earned a few smirks from around the table.

Lydia simply rolled her eyes. "Maybe Scott could just ask her."

"Yeah, great idea, maybe afterwards they can go kill a deer together, that'd be real romantic," Stiles muttered, though his tone signified he was already defeated.

"Lydia's got a point," Isaac reasoned, startling everyone. "Why don't we just talk to them?"

"Says the guy who always jumps to violence," Stiles grumbled, though at this point no one was paying him much attention.

Scott, who had been glancing at his own uneaten lunch only then realised that all gazes had suddenly been averted to him. "Oh," he said lamely. "I suppose that could work… I definitely sensed something from them earlier, though it might have been nothing."

"But it could have been something?" Stiles brightened.

Scott shrugged. "Maybe."

"Fine, we'll talk to the redhead," Stiles agreed before frowning. "Uh, what was her name again?"

"Lara," Allison answered. "The other one's called Cameron." When everyone glanced at her she only shrugged. "They were both in my homeroom."

"Okay…" Scott said, getting further into the plan at hand. "We'll talk to Lara."

"Alone?" Isaac asked suddenly. "Because I'm not sure if you'll be able to."

"Why?" Stiles asked unsurely.

Isaac rolled his eyes. "Didn't you see how closely they stick with each other, it's almost like they're-"

"A pack," Scott interrupted; eyes bright with understanding. "It makes sense, they're obviously sisters."

"Yeah, how does that even work, they can't be twins, can they?" Stiles thought aloud.

Lydia rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Honestly, they're probably adopted; it really doesn't take a genius like myself to figure _that _out."

Allison smiled down at the table before clearing her throat. "So you want to split them up, is that what you're saying?"

"I could talk to Cameron," Isaac supplied thoughtfully. "If we get them talking at the same time, they'll be forced to split apart from each other, even for only a few minutes."

Scott nodded, he liked where this was going. "Okay, it's a plan."

"I still can't believe you're doing this all for a couple of silly girls," Lydia sighed.

"They might not just be girls," Scott reminded her. When Stiles looked to him hopefully, he couldn't help but nod in exasperation. "When they came into the classroom… I felt something _off _about them." He looked towards Isaac for confirmation. He nodded slowly in agreement.

"Yeah," Isaac said, "and they smelt strange."

"Like spices," Scott agreed.

Lydia didn't look impressed. "Are you sure they'll even want to talk to you?"

Stiles looked affronted. "Why _wouldn't _they want to talk to us?"

Lydia shared an exasperated look with Allison before rolling her eyes warily. "_Duh, _girls respond better to girls, not hormone riddled teenage boys!"

"Hey!" Stiles snapped. "Need I not remind you that Scott's a big Alpha werewolf now; I'm pretty sure any girl at this school would be willing to talk to him."

Seeing the humoured looks on both the girl's faces, Scott decided to take control of the conversation. "Besides," he added hastily, "we're planning to do this after school, when Allison is supposed to be confronting her dad about the symbol."

Allison nodded carefully. "That's true. Even if my dad doesn't know anything, it could take hours; days even, to find something in the Bestiary."

Lydia frowned. "But-"

"_And,_" Scott continued, "we need a werewolf to be present with both of them, just in case we do find anything _strange._"

Lydia chewed her lipstick lathered lip for a few moments before nodding in acceptance. "Fine," she said snappishly. "But when sniffing their behinds doesn't work out, you'll know where to find us."

* * *

The plan was simple: After the bell had rung for the end of classes, Scott and Stiles would approach Lara and delve into a conversation (hoping that her apparent interest in Scott would play to their advantage.) While that was happening, Isaac would catch the attention of Cameron and try to milk some kind of information out of her. The girl seemed to carry a scowl wherever she went and – as the day progressed – none of Scott's misfit pack saw her even attempting to talk to anyone except for her sister. The one time a boy had approached her, she'd given him such a hard look that he'd turned tail on her before he had even crossed the hallway. When that had happened, Stiles had given Isaac a sympathetic look that roughly translated to 'she's gonna eat you alive.'

Miraculously, the plan worked better than anyone had anticipated.

At the end of the day, Lara and Cameron were hanging out by the lockers. Lara had been wrestling with her backpack, shoving books in unceremoniously with a serene, not entirely there, expression on her face. Cameron had been leant next to her, staring out at the lockers opposite with a dangerous look on her face.

Isaac had hung back around the corner, using his heightened sense of hearing to listen in on when it was safe to reveal himself. As he listened, he heard Scott 'accidently' bump into Lara, to which he apologised profusely and began to help her collect the books that had fallen from her grasp. As he did so, Cameron spoke up for the first time. "I'll be with the bike," she said tersely and with that, Isaac could hear the click of heels as she began to stalk towards the school doors.

It was strange hearing her speak for the first time. She hadn't sounded how Isaac had imagined in his head. For one, she carried an accent, English, maybe? It was hard to tell from a distance, but he was almost sure of it. As soon as she began to disappear down the hall, Isaac took it as his chance to follow her. He made sure to keep far enough away as not to draw attention to himself, but at the same time he didn't let her out of his sight.

He caught Stiles watching him as he walked past, but Lara didn't seem to notice anything odd. She was speaking in a fluid English accent of her own, though hers sounded slightly different, more melodic, like every sentence was a poem to her. As Isaac passed, he noticed Scott's look of confusion. Evidently, whatever she was saying made little sense to him.

When Isaac made it out of the front doors, Cameron was already stood by her bike, fervently trying to get a cigarette lit. Her hands were now clad in gloves that matched her jacket, and as Isaac looked closer he noticed the chipped black nail polish that coated her fingers.

Sinking his hands into his jacket pockets, Isaac took up an easy going, playful demeanour, the kind he might use on someone he didn't entirely trust yet. He flashed a smile as Cameron sensed him coming, completely nonplussed by the acidic scowl that darkened her features as he drew closer. "You're not really supposed to smoke on school grounds, y'know," Isaac said smoothly as he stopped a few feet away from her bike. Cameron didn't react to his words; she simply continued to light her cigarette. The moment she succeeded, she took a lengthy puff before blowing smoke into the sky.

When Isaac didn't make another attempt at conversation, Cameron moved her gaze towards him. Her expression was steely, her dark eyes guarded. Isaac took the silence between them as an opportunity to listen to her heartbeat. It hadn't raised or slowed since he had appeared in front of her. At the moment, she seemed to only see him as yet another annoying student at the school.

"Are you going to rat on me?" Cameron asked, though her tone expressed that she didn't care either way. With a small gesture of her wrist, she flicked ash onto the concrete.

Isaac's eyes glimmered with interest. "No," he smiled, "just pointing out the facts."

"Well you've pointed them out," Cameron gritted. Evidently, she wasn't thrilled with his continued presence. "You can leave me alone now."

Isaac cocked his head to the side. In appearance, Cameron looked like a girl not to be messed with. Her eyes were caked heavily in eye liner that contrasted drastically with her pale, almost ghostly features. Her lips, too, were painted a deep shade of red, like blood. Isaac was sure that this girl could easily take care of herself, but at the same time he sensed something _different _about her. Maybe it was the odd aroma of sweet spices that radiated from her clouding his better judgement, but he was almost certain she was hiding something. Just below the surface.

"You're the new girl aren't you," Isaac continued as though Cameron hadn't dismissed him. "Cameron Mills, right? You and your sister were in my Chemistry class."

Cameron stiffened, but nodded rigidly to his question. "Cam," she corrected. "If you're going to continue to pester me, you might as well use the name I actually respond to_._" She took another drag on her cigarette. Her body was tense now, and Isaac caught her gaze wandering back towards the school. At this rate, she was going to go back in to collect Lara and ruin the whole plan.

"Uh, I'm Isaac," Isaac added quickly, flashing that same sly grin. He hoped if he played it cool, 'Cam' might be interested with him just long enough for Scott and Stiles to get what they needed.

It seemed to work, for Cam's eyes suddenly brightened. A small smile quirked her blood red lips. "Isaac, huh? You're friends with that Scott kid, aren't you?"

It was Isaac's turn to stiffen now. The question caught him completely off guard, and he suddenly felt an overwhelming need to protect his Alpha from the intrusive ebony haired girl. He tried to shake himself of the feeling and instead replied with a cool smile. "Yeah, yes I am."

Cam's dark eyes flickered over Isaac's face for a moment before she nodded indistinctly. Apparently finished with her cigarette, she cast it to the ground, grinding it into the dirt with the heel of her boot. The way she kept eye contact with Isaac made the gesture feel almost threatening. "I only ask because my sister seems to have developed a _crush _on him," she said wryly.

Isaac felt the tension visibly lift from his body. "Oh," he said, suddenly at a loss for words. Did this mean that Lydia had been right? That the girls were completely harmless, that Lara's incessant staring had been nothing more than a silly crush on a hot guy? But _no, _there was something in the way that Cam was looking at him, like she was challenging him with her eyes. It made her look… predatory.

Isaac wasn't sure what game she was playing, but he decided to humour her. "He's single, you know?"

Cam's eyes narrowed. "That's interesting."

Isaac smiled tightly. "Yeah, you might want to tell your sister."

"Tell me what?"

Isaac very nearly jumped out of his skin as Lara popped up from behind him. The girl's large green eyes were looking towards him with nothing but a curious innocence. Now that she was speaking to him up close, he realised the melodic rhythm in her voice was caused by a slight Irish twang in her accent. She smiled brightly at Isaac as he made room for her by his side.

"That your little crush is single," Cam answered Lara's earlier question dryly, clearly not impressed. Isaac had to shake himself before remembering what she had even asked. Together, the two held that same aroma of sweet spices and side by side, the scent was rather powerful. It made Isaac dizzy.

Lara gave a little frown, crinkling the freckles on her pale face. The expression made her look even younger. "He's a little strange, actually," Lara said in means of explanation. "And his friend… _Stiles_." She turned to Isaac again with that same distant smile. She looked completely at ease with the world as she locked gazes with him. Isaac was startled by how brightly her eyes seemed to bore into his. "I'm Lara, by the way," Lara beamed. "You probably already knew that, considering you're talking to my sister, I suppose I should congratulate you." She smiled coyly towards Cam who simply grunted something incoherent under her breath. "What's your name?" Lara asked with genuine interest.

Isaac felt compelled to answer, but before he could open his mouth, Cam was thrusting a bike helmet into Lara's arms. "It doesn't matter, we need to go."

Lara looked a little disappointed, but she followed her sister's command all the same. She climbed onto the bike in one fluid move. Her bright red hair was knocked behind her shoulders in the wind, revealing a lightly curved face that seemed more befitting on a garden pixie than a teenage girl. Lara waved erratically at Isaac even after she'd put on her helmet. Isaac simply stared, dumbfounded as the two girls drove off, leaving him to wonder whether he'd actually collected anything important after all. He could only hope that Scott and Stiles had had better luck.


	3. Action Plan

_A/N: _Hey guys, so here's the third chapter! The fourth chapter is when the real action begins so keep your eyes peeled. Until then, enjoy _Action Plan. _Please leave your opinions through a **review**, it would make my day! x

* * *

_Chapter 3_

Action Plan

"_You told me this gets harder, well it did"_

It wasn't long after the sisters had departed that Scott and Stiles made their appearance from the school. If their expressions were anything to go by, Isaac suspected that their conversation must have gone just as smoothly as his had with Cameron.

"That. Girl. Was. _Nuts!_" Stiles punctuated every word incredulously as he and Scott stopped in front of Isaac. Unconsciously, Stiles ran a hand through his tousled hair as he looked blankly back at the school building.

Scott only shrugged his supposed agreement. "On the plus side, she seemed to like me."

Isaac couldn't help smiling at that. "Oh yeah, Cam told me about Lara's crush on you."

Stiles pulled a face. "_Cam? _As in short for _Cameron? _You're on a nick-name basis?" He gave Isaac a scrutinizing look. "How long were we gone?"

Isaac only shrugged lazily, pushing his hands further into his jacket pockets. "It's just what she wanted to be called."

Scott folded his arms warily. "Did you get anything from her?"

"Yeah, like if she's evil?" Stiles supplied.

Isaac's eyes glimmered as he thought back to their conversation. "She was kind of strange," he admitted.

"Yeah, okay, but strange in a normal person way or strange in a deer-killing psychopath kind of way?" Stiles prompted none too gently.

Isaac rolled his eyes as he slouched against the bike rack that stood behind him. "Neither. She just didn't want to be messed with, but I did get this weird feeling like she was hiding something…" Isaac drew off, lost in thought. It seemed whatever he had said had triggered the same reaction out of Scott, for he too was suddenly staring into space.

"I tried to talk to Lara, I asked her where she was from," Scott said finally. "She said she moved from England with her sister, but apparently they've been all over the place." Scott shrugged.

"Yeah and then Captain Charm over here asks her about her accent and suddenly we're talking about Irish folklore and leprechauns," Stiles rolled his eyes in exasperation. "This girl believes in it all, let me tell you, but I don't know if just believing in it all _makes _her one of them."

Scott chewed his lip thoughtfully. "That's all we could get out of her, she said she was late already and just ran off." He chose that moment to glance back up at Isaac. "Did she say anything to you?"

Isaac winced at the memory. Lara had wanted to know his name, but the whole conversation between the two of them seemed hazy and vague, leaving behind that same enticing scent instead of concrete memory. Isaac frowned. "Not really…"

Scott gave Isaac a hard look which seemed to knock him out of his trance-like state. He closed his eyes in an attempt to clear his head. "Sorry," he apologised, "it's just… their scent was so _powerful, _I've never felt anything like it before."

"I know what you mean," Scott agreed with a grimace. "Just talking to Lara made me feel… _weird._"

Isaac nodded thoughtfully. That probably explained why Scott had looked so confused when he had passed him on his own mission to follow Cameron.

Stiles frowned in confusion at the two werewolves. "Okay, so this is just getting stranger and stranger. Aside from the fact that their scent gives you both a major high, what did we _actually _find out?"

"That Lara likes Scott," Isaac said automatically. "And she thinks you're weird," he continued with a sly grin, pointing a finger at Stiles.

"I'm weird?" Stiles gaped. "_I'm _the weird one!?"

Before Stiles could continue his tirade, Scott interrupted him in an agitated tone, "They're both hiding something." When Stiles and Isaac looked at him, he explained uncomfortably: "Lara talked way too fast for someone with nothing to hide. I don't know what's going on or whether it's connected to the deer killings, but there is _something _going on with those two."

"Yeah," Isaac agreed grimly. "We just have to find out what it is."

* * *

"So what do you think?" Allison asked her father after she had finished her lengthy explanation on the last few days' events.

Chris Argent had the symbol that Allison had drawn in front of him on his desk; his expression was stern, but also perplexed as his gaze flickered over the scrawled image.

"You said this was carved into a deer?" Chris asked his daughter without taking his eyes from the drawing.

Allison nodded before realising he couldn't see the action. "Yes," she said, pausing with a frown. "Does that mean anything to you?"

"Not exactly," Chris answered gruffly. "I can't say I know what it means, but at the same time it looks familiar to me… I think I've seen it before."

"In the Bestiary?" Allison asked hopefully.

"Maybe," Chris conceded. "And I agree with what Scott has told you. This may very well be some kind of message for him; a lot of creatures will be very interested in a True Alpha in Beacon Hills."

"It was carved into a dead animal," Allison said stubbornly as she moved closer to her father's side. "We can assume the message wasn't friendly."

"Not necessarily," Chris said, frowning down at the symbol once again. "At any rate, I don't believe the message is finished."

"So there'll be more dead deer turning up?" Allison asked with a hint of anxiety in her tone. She looked down at the symbol over her father's shoulder. To her, it just looked like an ore with a line striking through it, nothing out of the ordinary whatsoever, but to a practiced hunter's mind she also knew that there was no such thing as _ordinary. _The symbol held a message, but if the message wasn't finished yet it also meant that they had more time than expected to figure it out.

"They might not be deer next time," Chris said slowly. "There were claw marks on the body, but the killings in themselves seem to be something more than a wolf wanting the attention of an Alpha. They have been planned, calculated. Someone wants Scott's attention, definitely, but we don't know how dangerous they are, or how far they're willing to go."

"So you're saying they could attack humans?" Allison asked with her arms folded. She tried to keep her tone steady, but the thought of the killings escalating to human beings... after all the people who had been sacrificed or mauled in the last few months; it sent barely contained shivers running down her spine.

"We can only assume the worst," Chris answered his daughter grimly. "Which means we have to be prepared for the worst as well."

"I know," Allison said guardedly. For weeks now, she, Scott and Isaac had been discussing plans for the next full moon. With the Nemeton back in action, they knew they'd have to be careful already, but now that they knew there was another threat out there, their planning had become a lot more serious. Allison hadn't exactly discussed their plans with her father, mostly because she didn't want him getting involved, but at this point, she was wary whether she could stop him.

While her father hooked the USB drive containing the Bestiary into the computer, Allison took out her phone and swiftly began to text out a message.

* * *

Everyone looked up the moment Scott's phone buzzed.

**DAD NOT SURE, LOOKING IN BESTIARY**

With a sigh, Scott lifted his phone up so Stiles and Isaac could get a better look at it.

"Great," Stiles muttered, rubbing his chin in dissatisfaction. "So not only did we find nothing helpful, Allison hasn't either."

"Deaton's still looking," Scott reminded, though there wasn't as much confidence in his tone as there had been before talking to Lara. He supposed he had been expecting more out of the girl than just folklore and fairy tales. Something concrete… some way they could know what they were up against.

The full moon was in two days and Scott knew what they were going to have to do, they'd been planning it for weeks. He, Isaac and Allison were going to scope out the woods on the outskirts of town. Before they'd known about the deer attacks, the plan had just been precautionary, in case any supernatural activity flared up after the Nemeton's power was returned. Now… it wasn't precautionary at all. There was a real threat out there, and the more Scott thought about it, the more he worried for his friends' safety. He'd already tried to talk Allison out of joining them in the woods, but she was confident in her own abilities. Not that Scott or Isaac could deny her; she was essentially more skilled with her crossbow than Isaac was with his own werewolf powers. Still, Scott felt wary. Where he and Isaac could heal supernaturally fast, Allison could not. He felt irrevocably protective over her, despite the fact that they weren't going out any more.

Scott was startled when his phone buzzed again. He looked down at the new text which was, again, from Allison.

**ONE MORE THING. DAD THINKS THE MESSAGE ISN'T FINISHED. THERE'LL BE MORE BODIES TO FIND.**

With a sinking in his gut, Scott texted back for Allison to call if she found anything else. After that, he looked up to his two friends.

"The message isn't over," he explained to their looks of confusion. "Whoever's doing this is going to do it again."

* * *

"So you think it's gonna happen on the full moon?" Stiles asked Scott as the misfit pack grouped around the lockers the next morning.

"It makes the most sense," Scott said warily. "If whoever it is wants my attention, what better time to get it than on the full moon?"

"We don't know if they'll be affected by the moon though," Isaac reminded doubtfully.

"From what my dad said, I don't think they will," Allison added, her face set. "Whoever it is has put way too much planning into this. They aren't wild."

"That's why I think the next attack will be on another animal," Scott said, trying to build confidence in his words. He looked towards Allison. "I know your dad thinks that they'll jump to humans, but we still don't know their motive."

"I'm guessing it's not for a friendly chat," Isaac said with an unimpressed roll of his eyes. "Why are we cutting this person so much slack, anyway?"

"Because we can't afford to go out there with murder on our minds," Scott said, trying his best to keep his voice level. "It doesn't matter how the moon affects our opponent if we're caught under its power as well."

Isaac receded a little against the lockers, his expression impassive, but Scott could catch the glimmer of fear in his eyes. Though Isaac had found an anchor faster than any of Derek's pack, he'd also had his fair share of problems with keeping his control. Neither of them wanted to lose themselves and considering this was Scott's first proper full moon as a True Alpha, he couldn't help but wonder about his own restraint. He nodded towards Isaac, which seemed to loosen some of his anxiety. It was strange yet relieving how simple gestures could diffuse situations now that he was an Alpha.

"We have to do this with a straight head," Scott continued with a calmer tone than before. He didn't want to lose any of his friends through his temper. "We can't assume anything at the moment, but at the same time we have to be prepared."

A look of shock passed over Allison's face. Scott turned to her, concerned. "Are you okay?"

Allison blinked, evidently realising that all attention was now on her. She shook her head valiantly. "Yeah, it's just… that's what my dad said."

The group drew silent as Allison looked uncomfortably at the ground, fiddling with a lock of her dark hair. "Does he know what we're planning?" Scott asked guardedly.

Allison locked gazes with Scott; her eyes were filled with nothing but sheer determination. "No," she answered. "But it won't matter; he'll have had the same idea as us."

"Does it matter?" Isaac asked idly. When everyone glanced towards him he simply shrugged, nonplussed. "Maybe he could help us."

"My father doesn't help, he leads the hunt," Allison reminded icily. "His mind is set that this _thing, _whatever it is, is going for human blood. He'll be out for the kill."

"Is there any way of changing his mind?" Stiles asked, though judging by his tone he already knew the answer.

Allison shook her head glumly. "He'll stick to his plan, we'll stick with ours."

"And if we run into each other?" Isaac asked warily. "Or if he gets to the thing before we do?"

"He won't," Scott said, forcing every piece of confidence he had into his voice. "It's looking for me, remember? Something Allison's dad is lacking in his bag of supplies."

Isaac didn't seem convinced, but didn't challenge his Alpha. It seemed no one else was willing to either, so Scott left it at that. He was about to turn away and head to class when he caught Stiles staring off just past his shoulder. Scott turned around, but by scent, he already knew what had caught his best friend's attention.

Cam and Lara were stood by the lockers across from them, though they weren't staring at any members of the misfit pack, nor did they seem interested in what the friends had been talking about. In fact, they were hooked in a conversation of their own. A conversation with a charismatic redhead.

"Lydia?" Stiles barely mouthed the words, but Scott heard him. It seemed Isaac had as well, for he was also looking towards the three girls as they actively engaged in the conversation. Lydia spoke with a grin on her face, eyes glimmering with mischief. Lara was captivated by whatever she was saying, though Cam seemed harder to convince. She wasn't exactly glaring at Lydia, but her expression wasn't friendly either, it made Scott on edge.

After a few moments, Lydia clasped Lara's hand in hers before waving goodbye. A moment later she had bounced over towards the misfit pack, her wide grin replaced with a sly one. "I had an idea," she announced happily.

Everyone glanced from her to the two girls in absolute astonishment.

Lydia rolled her eyes, waving a hand dramatically about her. "Oh please, I told you, _girls respond better to girls._"

Allison glared at her friend. "What did you say to them?"

Lydia smiled; her bright red lips made the look almost menacing. "I know you guys don't trust them, and I know what the plan is for the full moon, so I thought, seeing as I can't go with you, I'd invite your possible suspects out shopping that night, that way I can keep an eye on them so if you see anything in the woods, you'll know it's not them."

"That's…" Scott began.

"Awesome!" Stiles finished with a huge grin. "Lydia, that was genius, pure genius!"

Lydia's face flushed at the compliment, but she shrugged passively all the same.

Allison smiled at her best friend, hooking an arm through hers. "That was a really great idea, Lydia," she said, her voice slightly lower. "But how did you get them to go along with it?"

Lydia's brow creased. "It wasn't exactly hard. That Lara girl seems to go along with everything and Cam will go wherever she goes." She shrugged. "They didn't seem too peeved about it being the full moon."

Allison gave Isaac and Scott a pointed look. "We already discussed that," she explained. "They're not werewolves, Scott and Isaac would have picked up on that if they were, so they have no reason to be wary of the moon."

"Of course there are other species that are affected by the moon, right?" Stiles interrupted. "Like, different breeds?"

"You mean like the Kanima?" Scott supplied.

Stiles nodded enthusiastically, gesturing towards his friend. "Right!"

Allison frowned as she crossed her arms over her chest. "They could be anything, so there's always the possibility. Besides, we don't know whether these girls had anything to do with the deer killings. There could just as easily be another werewolf out there attacking animals, the wounds on the deer prove that much."

Lydia picked her fingernails idly. "Well, I can't do much about that, but two out of three isn't bad."

"Don't worry," Scott said, "that's what we're for."

* * *

Isaac was about to head to class along with everyone else when a stern expression caught his gaze from across the hall.

Cameron was leant against the lockers, just as she had been when talking to Lydia, except this time she was well and truly alone. Her dark eyes honed in on Isaac, narrowing slyly as they met his gaze. Isaac had a split second to decide whether or not he was going to ignore her. Cam, the dark haired stranger who isolated herself from other students. The girl who could have easily been connected to the deer killings and the ominous message left for his Alpha.

Without even realising he was doing it, Isaac began to walk towards her. It was only when he stopped a few feet from her that he caught the murderous look in her eyes and wondered – not for the first time – whether he'd made a fatal mistake.

Cam's arms were tightly wrapped around her chest; her leather-clad shoulders were locked menacingly. Everything about her screamed violent, volatile, _cruel. _Isaac chanced at listening to her heart. Surprisingly, it was rather steady.

Finally, Cam let out a shallow breath, her blood red lips pursed as her gaze scanned Isaac's face for, _what? _Any insecurities? Whatever the reason, Isaac didn't like it.

"Why are you interested in us?" Cam said suddenly, her tone accusing.

Isaac was taken aback by the question, so much so that he didn't have time to bring up any form of defence. He blinked quickly, trying to form something of a surprised smile. He knew he'd failed the moment Cameron's eyes blazed into his.

"What?" He asked, trying to sound bemused. Acting calm and in any means superior to Cam seemed like a death wish, but it was the only defence mechanism he had left.

Cam's lips peeled back to reveal a vicious snarl. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. You and your whole group of friends have been doing it," Cam accused, pointing a black fingernail directly into Isaac's chest. Isaac tried his best not to flinch. The way Cam had caught him, backing him directly into the lockers behind him, it made Isaac feel incredibly wary.

"You got me alone so you could talk to me and at the same time, Scott was talking to my sister!" Her black eyes bored into his face, leaving no room for him to even try to explain himself. "And now Lydia – another _friend_ of yours - is talking us into going out _shopping _with her," Cam continued, her face twisting into that of disgust. "She's never even noticed us until it seemed you lot needed her to."

Isaac's eyes widened. Had he been imagining it or was there something else mixed in Cam's tone other than pure hatred and disgust? A vulnerability, even? Was she _really _angry at him, or just shocked that someone had taken the time out of their schedule to actually form a conversation with her? Isaac bit his lip; how Cam spoke right now reminded him of someone else. Another person who had isolated themselves from others simply because they didn't think they were worth anyone's time. Someone who secretly, _desperately, _wanted a friend.

_Boyd._

"No one tells Lydia to do anything she doesn't want to," Isaac said, deciding that the truth, right now, would probably work out the best for both of them. He tried his best at a smile. Not a sly one, but a genuine, proper _smile_. Something to ease Cam's nerves, because, yes, that's what he wanted to do. "Maybe she thought you could use a friend."

That was it. He'd done it, without necessarily knowing exactly what he'd _done. _Something snapped inside of Cam and suddenly her hand came up around Isaac's collar. Her grip was tighter than he had expected, and he was only surprised further when she managed to push him directly into the lockers with hardly any effort on her part. Her face was contorted into that of violent rage and, as she held Isaac there against his will, her eyes sparked with something more than malice.

For the shortest moment, Cam's black eyes sparked with a vibrant green. For a fraction of a second, a pair of emerald orbs glowed eerily into Isaac's. Isaac had to fight back the sudden primal urge to respond with his own golden eyes. Instead, he looked away, feeling fear rise up and clamp against his chest.

Then, just as quickly as the rage had begun, it dissipated again. Cam's fingers grew lax around Isaac's collar before he felt the pressure of her touch ease completely. Suddenly, Isaac found himself standing alone in the corridor, one hand still gripping lamely at his neck. Cam was gone, but there was no denying it now.

She was _definitely _something supernatural.


	4. Execution

_A/N: _So this is where things get interesting! Thank you for the positive feedback. Every review makes my day brighter! Please continue to do what you guys do best, and enjoy this chapter! :)

* * *

_Chapter 4_

Execution

"_The damage you've inflicted, temporary wounds"_

The full moon came around quicker than Scott had expected, though when he had spent the last two days worrying about his ability to control his True Alpha powers, he felt as though he really should have known better.

The whole school day, Scott had felt on edge and – therefore – been more liable to lose his temper. Though feelings of rage weren't uncommon during the full moon, Scott had thought he'd built up more restraint in the year or so experience he had with being a werewolf.

He knew Stiles could sense his bad temper, but his best friend would never mention it. There was no use stressing him out even more than he already was. On top of it all, Isaac had been more recluse than usual, which was really saying something considering his usual personality. Still, Scott knew something besides the usual full moon jitters was bugging him, but with his own issues to deal with he hadn't had the time to bring it up.

Now that the evening of the full moon was upon them, Scott had found himself in his bedroom, staring down at his trembling hands as he forced them to phase into claws and back again over and over, trying his hardest to build a confidence in his own abilities. He could feel the light of the moon prickle against his neck like a constant bad omen. It sent an assortment of negative emotions shock waving through his body, but Scott was determined to ignore them. Instead he focused on his fingernails. Focused on drawing and retracting his claws. _Anything _other than the dark foreboding that had settled inside his stomach.

"Come on, you can do this," he muttered to himself, trying to block out the negative emotions crashing through him. He held onto his anchor, an anchor that – despite everything – still held Allison at its core. It didn't matter that they weren't going out anymore; she had been his first love and those kinds of feelings would never leave him. She still kept him grounded, something he was eternally grateful for. Despite this, Scott still felt wary about her being there tonight. What if something went wrong? What if the creature turned up and attacked her? What if they weren't fast enough to keep her from getting hurt?

He knew it was stupid. Allison had proved herself time and time again that she was more than prepared for a fight against the supernatural. She was an Argent, her family history said enough about her competence. Scott tried to shake himself of the bad feelings, despite how hard they clung to the back of his mind. Instead he turned his attention back to his claws. He stared down at his fingers and watched as they shrunk back to normal, human-sized fingernails, though he couldn't ignore the strain he had put into an action that should have felt so much simpler, more _natural. _The way he controlled his claws now reminded him of when he'd had little to no control over his abilities; how he'd struggled to go to school every day, constantly afraid that he might lose it and attack someone under the simplest provocation. Closing his eyes, Scott let out a calming breath through his teeth.

Moments later, he was thrown back into the real world by three sharp knocks at his bedroom door.

Hesitantly, Scott crossed the room and opened the door to see Isaac standing impatiently in the hallway. To anyone else, Isaac would have looked like the pinnacle of calm, as he always did. But as a werewolf, Scott could see the strain other people would miss. The look in Isaac's eyes that proved he was giving a reasonable amount of his concentration into controlling his baser instincts. The ones that wanted to run wild under the full moon.

Neither of the boys voiced any of their insecurities though. Instead, Isaac nodded towards Scott, his eyes unreadable, yet determined.

"It's time."

* * *

By the time they reached the woods, darkness had swallowed the City. Scott had been wary about Lydia's stand-alone plan at keeping Lara and Cam occupied, but Allison had assured him that Lydia had it under control. She was giving them the whole 'girl's night' experience, according to the text that Allison had received. Scott only hoped that neither of the girls caught wind to what was really going on.

The first hour or so was spent in relative silence. Scott and Isaac used their werewolf senses, trying to catch the scent of anything that they didn't recognise whilst Allison had regressed to prime Hunter mode. Her bow was at her back, ready to be locked and loaded if anything were to come their way.

After a while, though, the silence became taxing. The smallest sounds of wild animals made everyone feel on edge. The further they ventured into the woods, the more wary they each became.

"Do you think anyone's out here?" Isaac finally broke the silence by asking.

Allison shot him a look, but her shoulders visibly relaxed towards the sound of someone else's voice. "My dad is," she reminded him.

Isaac rolled his eyes. "Besides him."

Allison shrugged as they all ventured further into the woods. Though they were supposed to be scoping out every corner, they had unanimously decided to keep a perimeter around the Nemeton. It had a magnetic effect towards supernatural creatures, something that they believed they could work to their advantage.

"We can't give up now," Scott said suddenly, startling Allison with his abrupt tone. His shoulders were locked with a tension he was unable to release. Scott had hoped coming out into the woods would relax his mind a little, allowing him to think about the mission at hand, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the primal urges that were battling inside him. Despite everything, a dark part of his mind _wanted _to find something in the woods that night. Something he could chase to rid of the anger building inside him. Something he could _attack._

"Scott?" Allison's guarded tone shook him out of his thoughts long enough for him to feel the prickle of her hand against his shoulder. "You doing okay?"

"M'fine," Scott muttered, rolling his shoulder away from Allison. Her touch still left a spark of a relationship they once shared. But no more.

"You're a terrible liar," Isaac said from where he was trailing behind.

"It doesn't matter," Scott stated venomously. "We've got bigger things to worry about."

"Yeah, a dangerous creature running around the woods," Isaac said with a hint of sarcasm. Scott felt anger swell inside of him.

"I'm just saying what we're both thinking here, your control doesn't look the best," Isaac said softly, sharing a quick glance with Allison who nodded her agreement.

"Isaac's right, Scott," Allison said. "You've been on edge all day."

"More than all day," Isaac added, his voice rising a little higher. "This has been going on ever since you became a True Alpha, hasn't it?"

Though Isaac didn't phrase his words unkindly, Scott still felt as though he had been physically assaulted. He turned sharply to face his two friends, his eyes sparking a dangerous, predatory red.

Allison took a step back in surprise, whereas Isaac moved closer to his Alpha. He held his hands up in surrender, his expression impassive. "It's alright, Scott. Just calm down," he said slowly.

"I'll go up ahead," Allison said as she read the situation, walking backwards into the trees. Clearly, if something was about to happen, she knew she shouldn't get caught up in the cross fire.

Scott forced his eyes closed, breathing deeply through his nose as he did so. His vision had gone red; the rage was pumping through him, threatening to take control. His lips curled. "You're telling _me _to calm down, as if I'm the only one who's changed?" Scott's fingers uncurled from his palms, a sharp sting in his hands confirmed that his claws were beginning to descend.

Isaac eyed his Alpha warily. Scott knew he wouldn't want to fight him; it was ingrained into the wolf mind-set.

Instead, Isaac cleared his throat. "What do you mean?"

"What happened yesterday at school, Isaac?" Scott asked immediately. He'd been itching for the chance to find out what had happened. The reason Isaac had receded into himself since yesterday morning. Why he had tried to keep his gaze away from his Alpha the whole school day.

Isaac choked on his words. Scott's vision tunnelled as he took an intimidating step towards his Beta. "What are you hiding, Isaac? Who did you speak to?"

Isaac's fingers curled into fists, his eyes glowed gold in warning. "Scott…" he said warily. "You're not thinking straight."

"Who were you talking to, Isaac?" Scott repeated ferociously, his voice lowering to a base growl. With a burst of rage, he yelled out, "**ANSWER ME!**"

"Cameron Mills!" Isaac blurted. The moment he had done so, his eyes widened in disbelief. The gold in his eyes faded as the shock of his words took hold.

Scott's eyes, too, returned to their original state. He felt his claws recede as he stared at Isaac uncomprehendingly. Isaac hadn't been willing to tell Scott the truth, that fact had been clear in the expression he held. He wouldn't have told him the truth, but he had. Scott didn't know how he knew, but Isaac had told the truth. _Why _had he?

"Did you just…?" Isaac began, but he never had time to finish, for at that moment, Allison came crashing through the trees from their side.

"I've been calling you!" Allison said angrily, though her expression softened as she took in the two boys' shocked expressions. "What happened, Scott, are you-"

"It doesn't matter," Scott affirmed, though he still couldn't shake the commanding power that had overtaken him just moments ago. "What did you find?"

Allison's eyes jumped from Scott to Isaac before settling back on the Alpha. "Fire," she said seriously. "Someone's been setting fires."

* * *

The smell of burning was so strong; Scott couldn't understand how he hadn't smelt it earlier. Maybe because they had only been set recently, or, more likely, because of the stand-off he'd just had with Isaac.

Scott didn't know how to word an apology for what he'd said or the way he had acted, but it didn't seem like Isaac needed one. He was far too set on the task at hand: trying to figure out where the fire was coming from.

At the same time, Scott still felt a rattling anger in the back of his mind. Whatever Cameron had told Isaac had changed his behaviour around his Alpha. Scott knew something had happened, but he didn't have the time to ask. They were running now, sprinting as fast as they could through the woods. Surprisingly, Allison was doing a good job at keeping pace with the two werewolves as they followed the scent of the burning to its source.

Within minutes, the three friends met face to face with a wild orange light. At first, Scott thought the whole woods had been set ablaze, that was until his vision cleared enough for him to see the large metal barrels that had been placed strategically through the dense woodland. They had been filled with flammable materials and were burning with ferocious intensity. Despite this, the fire was controlled.

Scott followed the barrels with his eyes, though he already knew what he was looking at.

A trail.

Just like the ribbons, the barrels had been placed in a path-like fashion, begging to be followed. The woodland floor was alive with flickering shadows cast by the ferocious flames, but that didn't deter Scott. He looked to Isaac who nodded in silent agreement. Allison was stood to the other side of Scott; she too was prepared for what most likely laid in wait.

They moved in single file, Scott up front with Allison, bow cocked, taking up the rear. Isaac was to protect her should anything go awry, which, at the moment, looked like the most likely outcome.

Once again, whoever had done this – and Scott _knew _this was the same person – was one step ahead of them. They had known that Scott would make the likely decision to scope out the woods on the full moon, they knew exactly when to set the fires to catch his attention. An eerie shudder passed down his spine at the thought. If this was true, that meant that this person, whoever they were, had been following the three of them the moment they'd entered the woods.

Scott kept his senses wide-open, ready for any kind of movement that might suggest their assailant was nearby. Sadly, the fire overtook most of his senses. His sight was blinded by the flames, his nose was clogged by the thick smoke and his sense of hearing was deafened by the violent crackles of dancing fire. Scott knew Isaac was probably having the same difficulties, and he could only imagine what Allison felt with no help from the supernatural.

The further they got, the denser the fire became. The barrels began to stand facing each other, leading them down a pathway they could not escape. Scott heard Allison coughing on the fumes from behind him and turned to see Isaac helping her along. He felt a flutter in his heart as he turned to face forwards once again. Were these barrels really leading to the next clue, or had their assailant grown bored of games and simply decided to kill them right here and now?

Then, Scott saw it.

The barrels stopped at two distinct trees, leading them into an open clearing free of suffocating fumes. Scott felt a sensation of déjà vu as he looked straight down into the clearing. A single barrel lay in the centre of the trees, burning dully; keeping the place lit just enough to make out the heap that lay in the shadows.

Scott's stomach sank. The smoke was too thick for him to get a proper scent of the heap, and from here, he couldn't see well enough to make a distinct call on what shape the lifeless form took.

Instinctively, Scott held a hand out behind him. He felt Isaac stop at his back, motioning for Allison to do the same. All three of them stared out at the clearing as the single barrel burned calmly, as though it were enticing them to come closer.

Scott made the first move. He kept his gaze wary as he walked slowly across the clearing. He made sure to keep an eye on his footing. He was far too _experienced _when it came to booby traps in the woods.

Scott was halfway there when he began to make out the shape. His heart jumped as he made out four limbs laid sporadically across the ground, a small, dainty head and antlers.

_Antlers._

He let out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding as he sped up his pace. The lit barrel gave just enough light to make out the mangled remains of yet another deer, though this one was evidently male. A stag.

The body was no less torn. Large claw marks were indented in the underside, just as before. Pink intestines were spilled across the wooded floor; the blood from the animal was still damp in places, making Scott's heightened senses prickle in discomfort. Whoever had done this could still be close by.

Then, he saw it.

Just as before, a mark had been carved into the flesh of the deer's flank. Scott had to squint against the intensity of the flames, but he was able to make out the shape. An octagon with lines drawn horizontally through it and, below that octagon another, but only the top half had been completed. Scott felt Isaac and Allison come up behind him as they took in the image that had been carved into the deer's flesh.

"Looks like your dad was right," Isaac said quietly, actively aware that anyone could be listening. "The message wasn't finished."

Hesitantly, Scott withdrew his phone from his pocket. He took a few pictures, though he winced at the quality. It didn't matter, he resolved to himself. He could remember the image even if he couldn't get a decent picture.

Scott was about to turn to his friends, when the crack of a twig caught his attention.

Allison was the first to react, her bow was already drawn, an arrow locked in place. Her entire body was rigid as she searched out the shadows that surrounded the clearing.

Scott could see Isaac's eyes glowing eerily in the darkness; his claws were drawn as he looked out into the dark.

At first, Scott wasn't sure what had caught their attention. That was, until, another twig snapped and, at the same moment, something moved from one tree to the next.

Scott's eyes were glowing now, he could feel them. His teeth were already sharpening, his claws extended at his sides. At the moment, he had no time to feel insecure about his control. Right now, his mind was fixed on protecting his pack.

The figure in the dark moved again and this time the sounds were obvious, as though the person was purposefully being as loud as they could. Scott drew into a crouch, readying his senses for a sudden attack. The figure moved again and this time, something glowed from within the darkness.

Scott heard Isaac stifle a gasp of surprise as two bright green orbs appeared in the shadows.

Then, the figure was gone again.

"What _was _that?" Allison asked, her hands trembling slightly against her bow.

"You saw it?" Scott asked incredulously.

Isaac remained silent.

When Allison nodded, Scott demanded, "What did it look like?"

Allison opened her mouth to answer, when the breath was suddenly knocked out of her. In a flash of motion, both Allison and her bow were flung across the clearing. She skidded across the leafy floor, eyes wide in panic, but seemingly unharmed.

The creature that stood in Allison's place was tall, yet slender. Their body was clad in black, not a fleck of skin showing all around, but still, Scott knew it was female. Something about the way they held themselves gave that away. Their assailants' face was masked in a balaclava. All that was on show were the creature's green eyes and a set of vicious fangs.

The creature made a guttural sound. Not wolf-like, but animal all the same. With that sound in place, the girl, the _thing, _lunged towards Scott. Isaac blocked the attack, his face almost completely transformed. He growled at their attacker before pushing her back with all his might. The creature stumbled, but didn't fall. She crouched down, matching Scott's actions, and made to lunge again.

Scott readied for an impact that never came. Instead, an arrow zoomed through the clearing, connecting directly with the creature's raised arm. Allison was knelt in the leaves, bow cocked, a serious expression indented on her features. The masked girl hissed as she drew away from the misfit pack. Before anyone could make a move to grab her, she'd already crossed the clearing. Scott had to blink to make sure he hadn't been imagining it, but no, she really _had_ moved that fast.

At a safe distance from the pack, the masked girl grabbed at the arrow that was now buried into her arm. With one violent shriek, the arrow tore out of her flesh. The girl discarded it and, as she did so, Scott caught a glimpse of an impressive set of claws growing from her fingertips. Despite this wolf-like feature, there was nothing wolf about her. The girl moved fluidly from place to place, practically blurring into the background. Scott didn't have time to think on the matter though, for the girl was suddenly back in action, running towards the two werewolves.

Allison attempted another shot with her bow, but the girl was too quick. She dodged each arrow with apparent ease until she was leaping towards Scott. Scott only had time to raise his arms in defence before the girl had jumped on top of him. With their combined weight as a factor, the two supernatural beings were sent tumbling into the dirt. The girl's luminescent green orbs bored into Scott's face as she made a primal hissing sound. Her arms raised above her head as she made to strike him across the face.

Kicking upwards, Scott managed to topple the girl where she straddled him. With her balance slacking, Scott took the opportunity to roll the girl over so that their roles were reversed. The girl struggled under his weight, thrashing her arms and legs in a primal fashion. Scott could feel Isaac moving towards him from behind and was about to turn when the girl jerked out especially hard. Her legs bent underneath Scott and, with a violent kick, she sent him airborne. Scott didn't have even a second to comprehend the sudden lack of gravity before he hit a tree with a sickening _thud_. Scott fell forwards, badly winded as his eyesight blurred before him.

Allison was shrieking his name, getting another arrow primed and ready, but Scott knew it would do no good. The creature – whatever she was – moved too fast.

The masked girl was running towards him now, her body a blur amongst the smoke and fire. Scott closed his eyes, readying for the impact, when suddenly Isaac lunged in front of him. Scott felt rather than heard the large crunch as the two bodies connected with each other. Isaac had his arms out, restraining the wrists of the masked girl as she hissed and spat at him. Despite Isaac's one-up in position, Scott knew it wouldn't last. The girl was incredibly strong and even as he watched, he saw the girl's new plan flash before her eyes.

In a flash of motion, the girl used Isaac's own weight against him. She swung her body away from him, so hard that he stumbled forwards, though he still held onto her tightly. The girl made an impatient noise as she twisted her body around and, with lightning fast reflexes, drew her elbow directly into Isaac's chest. Winded, Isaac let go of one of the girl's hands. Evidently, one was all she needed.

Before Scott or Allison could do anything to stop her, the girl brought her claws down across Isaac's chest, raking vicious lacerations into his skin. With a gasp, Isaac let go of her other hand. He stumbled backwards in surprise as blood began to spurt from the wounds. Allison yelled his name, her legs working robotically as she ran towards him.

Scott let out a yell of his own, though his was directed towards the masked creature. He picked himself up from the ground and ran forwards, slamming his entire weight into the girl. In his shocked state, it took him a few moments to realise the action had done nothing to slow her down. In fact, she was still standing, her arms locked against his chest. Scott tried to make a grab for her, slash her with his own impressive claws, but she was restricting his movement. Her green eyes looked up into his red ones and for a moment, he thought he saw them sparkle with something.

_Humour?_

The masked girl winked at Scott and, despite the fact he couldn't see her face, he knew she was gloating her victory. Scott snarled at her, trying to move in on an attack, but she continued to hold him steady.

With a violent motion, she let go of Scott, pushing him hard into the leafy floor. Before he could pick himself up, she had already disappeared into the trees.

Scott let out a yell and stood. Allison called out to him, but he didn't hear her. His vision had turned entirely red. His rage was back and he knew only one thing could sate it.

In blind fury, Scott tore across the clearing, leapt through the trees and landed nimbly on all fours. His night vision picked up every movement in the forest and he was immediately able to hone in on the only other bipedal creature in the woods.

The girl hadn't gone far. In fact, she was stood amongst the shadows, leaning against a tree. Her eyes glowed sharply in the darkness, as though she had been waiting for him.

Scott didn't question it. Instead he ran forwards, a vicious sound ripping from his throat as he made for the attack. In the last few feet between them, Scott jumped into the air, ready to meet the creature face to face. Before he could land, however, the girl reached an arm into the air and with a powerful _crack _she hit him. In fact, she knocked him so hard that he changed trajectory completely. In the briefest moment, Scott was sent sprawling into the underbrush, his hair and clothes tangled with dirt and leaves.

Stunned, Scott made to stand up, to continue his pursuit on the girl. The moment he stood, however, a vicious white-hot pain flared up across his chest. He felt the colour drain from his face as his eyes burned ferociously in the dark. He fell backwards against the tree, sucking in a deep breath as the pain continued, pulsing through his body. Gingerly, he placed a hand against his chest, expecting it to come away bloody. But there was no blood, no injury whatsoever and, as Scott looked up into the dark, he realised through the blinding pain that the girl was gone too.

Scott searched his body fervently as the pain flared again. He looked out into the dark, his breath coming out tight and ragged. Why was he hurting if he wasn't injured? Had the girl _done _something to him?

Then he remembered.

She hadn't done something to him. But she _had _done something to Isaac.

The connection was clear, though Scott couldn't understand why. He was feeling Isaac's pain. A wave of nausea swept through him as he forced himself onto two unsteady legs. If this was how Isaac felt…

He didn't have much time. Ignoring the pain as best he could he turned back the way he came. He sprinted through the trees, dodging fallen branches as he went, before he finally crashed back into the clearing.

Allison was knelt in front of Isaac, her face set grimly as she stared down at him with wide eyes. Isaac was sat with his back pressed against a tree. His skin was unsettling pale, his eyes half closed, his face contorted in agony.

Allison heard Scott before he'd even made it half-way towards them.

"He's not healing," she said quickly, her voice strained. Scott knew it was taking all of her efforts not to break on the spot.

Once he was close enough to see the wounds, Scott could understand why.

Isaac's shirt had been torn to shreds, showing the grizzly claw slashes in all their glory. The sliced flesh was a puckered, angry red colour, but that wasn't what Scott was worried about. The wounds were pumping out black blood at an alarming rate, soaking into what remained of Isaac's shirt. Scott knelt on the other side of Isaac. The pain he'd felt from Isaac's wounds was just a dull throb in his subconscious now, though he knew that wouldn't be the case for his Beta. Pressing a hand against Isaac's arm confirmed his theory. Scott instantly felt Isaac's pain surge through his hand, burning through his body. Allison watched as the all-familiar black veins appeared across Scott's arm, her eyes wide and fearful.

Scott gritted his teeth, trying to hold on for as long as he could. Isaac's eyes fluttered open, his breathing steadied, evidently relieved from some of the pain, but Scott knew it wasn't much. The wounds were too deep for him to give the kind of comfort he needed. "Stay awake, Isaac," Scott demanded, growing light headed as he was forced to let go of Isaac's arm.

Isaac moaned in pain, his eyelids fluttering dangerously. "S-Scott?" he slurred.

"Stay awake!" Allison said it this time, forcing their gazes to meet. "It's alright, Isaac. You're going to be alright."

Scott nodded, though his heart was racing. "We've gotta get him out of here," he said grimly, shoving his hands into his pockets as he spoke. Swiftly, he removed his phone and began to dial in a number.

Isaac groaned out again, writhing where he lay. His fingers dug feverishly into the dirt, anything to relieve the agony that was shooting through his body.

Tears sprung at the corners of Allison's eyes as she continued to speak softly towards Isaac, keeping him conscious for all it was worth. But his concentration was slipping. They didn't have time to waste.

"Where are we taking him?" She asked Scott as soon as he returned after making the phone call.

"Deaton," Scott said. "We have to get him to Deaton."

* * *

_A/N: _So, yeah, _cliffhanger! _Ain't I precious? Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter, please leave a review it'd make my day! :) Until next time, guys!


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